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SERM. ly, yet if he be defective in righteoufnefs toward men, if he deal falfely and fraudently with his neighbour, he shall not escape the wrath of GOD; tho' a man pretend to never so much piety and devotion, yet if he be unrighteous, "he fhall not inhe66 over"rit the kingdom of GOD;" if any man, "reach and defraud his brother in any matter, "the LORD is the avenger of fuch," faith St. Paul, 1 Theff. iv. 6.

So that here is a very powerful argument to take men off from all fin, and to engage them to a conftant and careful discharge of their whole duty toward GoD and men, and to reform whatever is amiss either in the frame and temper of their minds, or in the actions and courfe of their lives; becaufe any kind of wickedness, any one fort of vicious courfe, lays men open to the vengeance of GoD, and the punishments of another world; "the wrath of Gop is revealed "from heaven against all ungodlinefs, and unrightesoufnels of men;" there is no exception in the cafe, we must forfake all fin, fubdue every luft, "be "holy in all manner of converfation," otherwife we can have no reasonable hopes of escaping the wrath of GOD, and the damnation of hell. But to proceed to the

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Fourth obfervation; namely, that it is a very great aggravation of fin, for men to offend against the light of their own minds. The apostle here gravates the wickedness of the heathen world, that they did not live up to that knowledge which they had of GOD, but contradicted it in their lives, holding the truth of God in unrighteousness." And that he speaks here of the heathen, is plain from his following difcourfe, and the character he gives of

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thofe perfons of whom he was fpeaking, "who hold SERM. "the truth of GOD in unrighteoufnefs; because that "which may be known of GoD is manifeft in them, "for God hath fhewn it unto them;" and this he proves, because those who were deftitute of divine revelation, were not without all knowledge of God, being led by the fight of this vifible world, to the knowledge of an invifible being and power that was the author of it, ver. 20, 21. "For the invifible things "of him from the creation of the world are clearly "feen, being understood by the things which are "made, even his eternal power and godhead, fo "that they are without excufe; because that when they knew God, they glorified him not as GOD," (Hæc eft fumma delicti, nolle agnofcere, quem ignorare non poffis, faith Tertullian to the heathen; "this is "the height of thy fault, not to acknowledge him, "whom thou canst not but know, not to own him, "of whom thou canst not be ignorant if thou "wouldft;")" neither were thankful," they did not pay thofe acknowledgments to him which of right were due to the author of their being, and of all good things; ἐματαιώθησαν ἐν τοῖς διαλογισμοῖς aTv, "they were fool'd with their own reafonings." This he speaks of the philofophers, who in those great arguments of the being and providence of GOD, the immortality of the foul, and the rewards of another world, had loft the truth by too much fubtilty about it, and had disputed themselves into doubt and uncertainty about those things which were naturally known; for nimiùm altercando veritas amittitur; "truth is many times loft by too much con<tention and dispute about it, and by too eager a "pursuit of it men many times out-run it; and "leave

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SERM." leave it behind ;" ver. 22. "and profeffing them"felves to be wife they became fools." Men never play the fool more, than by endeavouring to be overfubtle and wife; ver. 23. " and changed the glory of "the incorruptible GoD, into an image made like to "corruptible man, and to birds, and to four-footed "beafts, and creeping hings;" here he speaks of the fottishness of their idolatry, whereby they provoked God to give them up to all manner of lewdnefs and impurity, ver. 2. " wherefore GoD alfo 66 gave them up unto uncleannefs, through the lufts "of their own hearts ;" and aga n, yer. 26,"for "this caufe God gave them up to vile affections;" and then he enumerates the abominable lufts and vices they were guilty of, notwithstanding their natural acknowledgment of the divine juftice, ver. 32. "who knowing the judgment of GOD, that they

which commit fuch things are worthy of death, "not only do the fame, but have pleasure in them "that do them." By all which it appears that he fpeaks of the heathen, who offended against the natural light of their own minds, and therefore were without excufe. Quam fibi veniam fperare poffunt impietatis fuæ, qui non agnofcunt cultum ejus, quem prorsùs ignorari ab hominibus fas non eft? faith Lactantius: "how can they hope for pardon of their impiety, "who deny to worship that God, of whom it is "not poffible mankind should be wholly igno❝rant ?"

So that this is" to hold the truth in unrighteouf"nefs," injuriously to fupprefs it, and to hinder the power and efficacy of it upon our minds and actions; for fo the word xarix fometimes fignifies, as well as to hold fast, and this every man does, whọ

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acts contrary to what he believes and knows; he SERM. offers violence to the light of his own mind, and does injury to the truth, and keeps that a prisoner, which would fet him free; " ye fhall know the "truth (fays our LORD) and the truth fhall make 46 you free."

And this is one of the highest aggravations of the fins of men, to offend against knowledge, and that light which God hath fet up in every man's mind. If men wander and ftumble in the dark, it is not to be wondered at; many times it is unavoidable, and no care can prevent it: but in the light it is expected men should look before them, and difcern their way. That natural light which the heathen had, though it was but comparatively dim and imperfect, yet the apoftle takes notice of it as a great aggravation of their idolatrous and abominable practices. Those natural notions which all men have of GOD, if they had in any measure attended to them, and governed themselves by them, might have been fufficient to have preferved them from difhonouring the deity, by worshipping creatures inftead of GOD; the common light of nature was enough to have difcovered to them the evil of those lewd and unnatural practices, which many of them were guilty of; but they detained and fuppreft the truth most injuriously, and would not fuffer it to have its natural and proper influence upon them; and this is that which left them without excufe, that from the light of nature they had knowledge enough to have done better, and to have preserved them from those great crimes which were fo common among them.

SERM.

And if this was fo great an aggravation of the CXI. impiety and wickedness of the heathen, and left them" without excufe;" what apology can be made for the impiety and unrighteousness of christians, who have fo ftrong and clear a light to discover to them their duty, and the danger of neglecting it, to whom "the wrath of GoD is plainly revealed "from heaven, against all ungodliness and unrighte"oufnefs of men ?" The truths of the gospel are fo very clear and powerful, and fuch an improvement of natural light, that men muft ufe great force and violence to fupprefs them, and to hinder the efficacy of them upon their lives. And this is a certain rule, by how much the greater our knowledge, by fo much the less is our excufe, and fo much the greater punishment is due to our faults. So our LORD hath told us, Luke xii. 47. "That fervant which knew "his LORD's will, and prepared not himself, nei"ther did according to his will, fhall be beaten "with many stripes." And John ix. 41. "If ye "were blind (fays our SAVIOUR to the Jews) ye "fhould have no fin." So much ignorance as there is of our duty, fo much abatement of the wilfulness of our faults: but "if we fin wilfully, af❝ter we have received the knowledge of the truth, "there remains no more facrifice for fin, but a fear"ful expectation of judgment and fiery indignation,” fays the apoftle to the Hebrews, chap. x. 26, 27. "If we fin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth;" implying, that men cannot pretend ignorance for their faults, after fo clear a revelation of the will of God, as is made to mankind by the gospel.

And